Richard V. Rupp

November 8, 2021

Good Monday afternoon. I'm author Richard V. Rupp, writing from Burbank, California. Welcome to RUPP'S NOTES/FBI SPECIAL AGENT HARTMAN SERIES posts.

 

Normally, I would be starting this post off with Good Monday morning, not Good Monday afternoon. But, my body is in a time warp (an imaginary distortion of space in relation to time whereby people or objects of one period can be moved to another). I slept through a good part of this morning and feel very lazy. I believe that China has created a new project titled the American Timewarp Conspiracy. They have built it on the back of their SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan Institue of Virology conspiracy.

 

China tested Daylight Saving Time for many years and decided on September 15, 1991, that it harmed its people. Since that time, it has not been observed, and China currently observes China Standard Time (CST) all year, and the clocks never change in China. I've heard their lobbyists have been involved in forcing American to maintain it?

 

The American human body, at least mine, is not designed to accept all that it went through last week. The combination of a Senior Flu shot, a Moderna COVID‑19 booster shot, daily weather temperature swings of 21 degrees (it's freezing this morning), and being forced to set my clock back by an hour, creating early darkness, has discombobulated my body. How does your body feel today? Think about it. Your body is being forced to react to unusual outside influences.

 

Hopefully, you realize that I write in a  tongue-in-cheek fashion. But wait, maybe I'm right?

 

Now I must admit I currently have another outside influence. Trying to finish my novel, SKYWARD. And, 'time' and human 'mindset' come into play as respects my current writing. Earth time makes no sense for space colonies. And, the limited breathable space confines the colonist freedom of movement, which requires a unique 'mindset.'

 

Here on Earth, 'days,' 'months,' and 'years' are relatively neat astronomical events. But when it comes to months, weeks, hours, and minutes that does not hold true. They are all directly related to astronomical events like the rotation of the Earth around its axis or a complete orbit of the Sun. For some reason, a week is a curious 23% of a lunar month.

 

The use of the seven-day week can be traced back to the astronomically gifted Babylonians and the decree of King Sargon I of Akkad around 2300 BCE. They venerated the number seven; based on the celestial bodies, they can see the Sun, the Moon, and the five planets. The seven-day week is also closely linked to Judaism and the story of Genesis, with God resting on the seventh day.

 

We can thank the Egyptians for coming up with 24 hours to divide the day. They divided the day into 12 hours from sunrise to sunset and the night into a further 12 hours from sunset to sunrise.

 

Then we come to 'minutes.' Apparently, the number of 60 for hours and minutes was chosen for its mathematical convenience. Sixty is divisible by many smaller numbers without a remainder: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30.

 

Then to confuse things further, someone came up with the idea of Daylight Saving Time.

 

So for the SKYWARD Colonist, I have worked things out this way -

 

To better fit their needs (24-hour monitoring and building of the Colony, physical space sharing for eating, exercise, and entertainment), the decision is made that a year will consist of 292 days, each day made up of 30 hours. There will be three work shifts of 10 hours, followed by 20 hours for sleeping and personal activity. Each of the three shifts will live in its own habitational unit. Lighting will be adjusted to sync that group's biological clock to match their shift. Work, eating, and workout spaces will be continually lit. The Colony is designed to be very efficient. 

 

The 292 days and 30 hours match the 8,760 hours in an Earth year (except for a leap year). If a Colonist wants to know what time it is at a particular city on Earth, they simply ask "Sky." Everything in Bowman Colony is controlled by Sky. It's "Alexia" or "Siri" on steroids. Sky is the all-knowing, interactive voice assistant that is connected to the Colonies master computer.

 

To overcome the anxiety of being confined to a small space, there needs to be a special Colonist 'mindset' (the fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations). The Clique (Bowman Twins and friends) understand the concept of mindset and develop the following list - 

1. Consider a person's initial mindset in the selection of Colonists.
2. Provide a physical environment that conveys open space. Use bright colors, provide plenty of light, use mirrors, and make ceilings a little higher than necessary. Have furniture and equipment built into the wall space, rather than placed randomly in open space (i.e., Murphy beds, fold-down desks, stacking tables).
3. Develop a team attitude. The feeling of belonging, of oneness, of shared hopes and dreams to be fulfilled. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
4. Develop flexible minds that can instantly adapt to the current situation. Minds that seek continued education and follow the science.
5. Select unit leaders who can open their hearts and minds and ask questions of those who report to them.
6. Be transparent and open and seek feedback. Avoid letting rumors start and expand. Bad news isn't wine. It doesn't improve with age.
7. Convey that there is no such thing as a stupid question.
8. Convey that a dream doesn't become a reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work.
9. Establish an attitude of politeness, including thankyous and pats on the back.
10. Develop or encourage non-work activities that relieve the mind of stress. (i.e., music, theatre groups, games). 

Yes, some of the above are from Colin Powells quotes. May he RIP.

 

That's all, folks. My mind is stretched as far as it is going to be for today. It's that 'time warp' thing.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp